CMU School of Drama


Monday, September 15, 2008

Signature puts stamp on 'Les Miz'

Variety: "The Signature Theater in Arlington, Va., will mount a revamped production of “Les Miserables” at its intimate 280-seat black box theater in December under special arrangement with producer Cameron Macintosh."

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a really exciting interpretation of the show. I love the idea of incorporating the audience into shows, and by having the audience IN the set, its going to be quite the experience. I'd love to see the set, it sounds like it would be quite remarkable.

Katherine! said...

This sounds like a very cool experience for the audience and a very cool interpretation. The idea of the show being in a black box is really cool. This will put the audience right in the scene will definitely add to the show and make it a completely new experience. I would love to see this version of the show because it has got to be a great version and very detailed in the designs with the audience so close.

AllisonWeston said...

I agree with Liz and Katherine that a reproduction of "Les Mis" in an intimate setting is very intriguing. The show is often so large, I think it will be interesting to see if the show still holds power for the audience when they are sitting onstage at the same level with the actors. I am surprised that this show has not been placed in a black box before considering the intimate nature of the material and the minimal staging requirements.

Anonymous said...

The set sounds really interesting...and like a pain in the ass to load-in. I'm a little surprised they are using all steel for it, since it's going to be so heavy, but maybe they are building in the space and like Susan says, there's nothing like the "itness" of a thing.

Anonymous said...

I think this is fantastic. I saw a production of this in London, and while I enjoyed it, I think the experience would have been incredible had it been in the setting the article describes (no turntable?! yes!). I love the idea of the audience being in the locations with the characters. I hope it turns out well for all involved.

Anonymous said...

Man I would love to see how they are pulling this one off. the turntable was just such an integral part to the telling of the story as it allowed the scenes to just flow together. 5 freaking tons.... I hope someone did the math on the loads in respect to the stage floor.

Anonymous said...

My first reaction was immense excitement about such an intimate performance of Les Miz. The show had a huge emotional effect on me when I saw it on Broadway and I think such a response could only by amplified by the small space.

However, I am slightly concerned about the encompassing nature of the set. If it does in fact take up the entire theater, I can see the production verging on theme-park-esque. There's always a strange disconnect for me at places as minutely engineered as Disneyland, for example. The incredible fantasy of the surroundings just throws into sharp relief how I am dressed or how that electrical light fixture doesn't belong in 19th century New Orleans. It makes me notice even more the forced perspective of the windows or the small anachronisms that litter the environment. My suspension of disbelief is finely tuned for theater spaces and after the overwhelming initial spectacle an integrated theater would create, I don't think I could feel truly present in the story.

Anonymous said...

i cannot imagine the show in the black box. i think it will be an interesting experience for the audience, but for actors as well. they are all used to be in a proscenium with the full barricade on the stage. but hopefully they can get the "feel" they're going for with this one!

Josh Smith said...

I'm really excited to hear that someone is finally thinking outside the box with Les Miz. Its such a show that is tied to its past, and I've often found productions that were unable to separate themselves from the original Macintosh production. Finally, a Les Miz that doesn't rely on a turntable!

NorthSide said...

Now there's a challenge, a large-scale musical in a black box theatre. I think their idea about encasing the audience in Paris is a great tool, but I wonder if it will start to feel less like theatre and some kind of tourist attraction where the shows want to get the audience involved. Don't get me wrong, those are fun, but I don't know how energized the audience with feel after three hours of emotional and physical involvement with the shows atmosphere. Not to mention, it's a small theatre for such a innovative approach to the show. It'll sell out with Les Miz fans and intrigued theatre artists. I have a feeling many will unfortunately be left out.